[[Victor Gil de Rubio]] 

Aside from Star Law the UPF has created several government agencies to handle certain common problems which stem from governing such a large amount of territory. The success of these agencies has long been questioned, but they are the best that the UPF can create, limited by the amount of influence they can exert on the sovereign rights of each inhabited planet in the Frontier.

League of Ambassadors (LA)

The League of Ambassadors is a government agency created after the First Sathar War in an effort to use diplomacy whenever possible when dealing with races that are not members of the UPF. Lately though the League has had its mandate broadened to allow them to serve as go-betweens between member races in an effort to avoid escalating a conflict. The League of Ambassadors’ duties often involve any negotiation between planetary and interstellar societies and the UPF. They are also mandated to oversee any first-contact negotiations, which puts them at odds with the Frontier Office of Survey and Statistics.

The Colonial Affairs Committee (CAC)

This government agency handles matters pertaining to the colonization of planets. Any authorized colony in the Frontier has at least one small office where a representative from the CAC works. The Colonial Affairs Committee’s job is to insure that the regulations set out in the Frontier charter are observed in regards to any new colony. These rules generally amount to guidelines regarding the sovereignty of higher lifeforms encountered on planets. In the event of a first contact situation occurring, the CAC officer must notify the LA office closest to the colony world, and has the authority to establish first contact rules with the new species until a LA representative arrives. The CAC officer has the right to take over the management of a colony in the case of an emergency, or if the colonial government is found violating Frontier guidelines, but may only control the colony until he is relieved by a new colonial government agent, or a representative from a mega-corp if the colony is owned by a mega-corp.

Frontier Office of Survey and Statistics

The Frontier Office of Survey and Statistics is mandated to survey the worlds of the Frontier and to keep accurate records of all worlds in the Frontier. The Exploration Service (ES) is charged with exploring the known Frontier and what lies beyond the Frontier. The exploration division has the authority to certify worlds for colonization, and can make detailed observations about new species encountered and recommend how the LA should approach a first contact situation.

UPF Trade Commission

In response to the growing number of aggressive Mega-Corps, the UPF has created a government agency whose responsibilities is to set tariffs, duties, rules and regulations for all merchant ships in the Frontier, whether they are corporate or independent. All merchants must be licensed by the UPFTC in order to work in the Frontier. However, the UPFTC has no authority in the Rim, and many merchants who cannot pay the high tariffs have started to move to the Rim. At present UPFTC depends on Star Law to enforce its policies, and their constantly trying to convince the UPF that if they had their own enforcement arm, it would free up Star Law resources. At present, though, their requests have met with refusal. UPFTC operates many customs houses throughout the Frontier. Depending on the population of a star system this can either be a small office with 2-5 customs officers or can be large building employing hundreds and operating large warehouses and impound lots.

Frontier Trade Administration (FTA)

While the UPFTC oversees the operations of merchant ships throughout the Frontier, the FTA oversees corporate practices, and is a judicial branch of government authorized to fine or otherwise punishes corporations who do not follow fair trade standards. The FTA has only been in operation for two decades but its power has, on more than one occasion, been felt by mega-corps who have been caught participating in illegal activities such as selling junk bonds, or participating in “ice wars”.

UPF Postal Service

The Frontier is huge and getting messages from one planet to another is vital to maintaining the Federation. The UPFPS or just the PS as it is often called is in charge of interstellar communications. The PS maintains a fleet of courier type ships that make mail runs throughout the Frontier, but they often contract privately owned merchant ships, or purchase space on corporate owned star craft, to deliver correspondence, and packages throughout the known Frontier.

The Warmaster’s Guild

The Warmaster’s Guild was an independently operated guild which ran a registry for mercenary companies in the Frontier. Eventually, the guild received a license from the UPF and the Rim Coalition. The Warmaster’s guild is responsible for assuring that mercenary companies follow strict guidelines regarding the terms of war, the treatment of captives, and what weapons are outlawed by the UPF and Rim Coalition. To insure that licensed mercenary groups obey the regulations, the WG often assigns company overseers to travel along with mercenary companies to hotspots. These overseers often act as go-betweens and diplomats, but may defend themselves as needed. The WG also maintain a standing military force, in case a situation gets out of hand they have to be called in to resolve a matter.